Wire-stretcher.



J. H. ELLIOTT.

WIRE STRETGHEE.

- APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1912.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

INVF ZNQ WITNESSES ATTORN EY tmrrnn 'sTArEs PATENT ornica.

JOHN HENDERSON ELLIOTT, 0F BOND, ARKANSAS.

WIRE-STRETCHER.

roaaoea.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN H. ELLIOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bono, in the county of Craighead and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Wire-Stretcher, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in wire stretchers.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of wire stretchers, and to provide a simple, inexpensive and efficient wire stretcher of great strength and durability, designed particularly for stretching woven wire fencing, and capable of being quickly applied to the longitudinal wires and of simultaneously stretching the same to a uniform tension without permitting any of the individual wires to slip and without breaking the connecting stay wires.

V fith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claim, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing :Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wire stretcher, constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a detail plan View, illustrating the manner in looking the operating lever in the opposite position, Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing.

In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, 1 designates an approximately triangular plate or member having a vertical front edge and provided thereat with a vertical series of perforations 2, into which are linked one end of a plurality of chains 4, which are provided at the other end with wire clamps 5, adapted to grip a longitudinal wire 6 of woven wire fencing, but they may also be employed for gripping the individual wires of a fence to enable the same to be simultaneously stretched. The clamps Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 5, 1912.

Patented Apr. 28, .1914.

Serial No. 701,848.

are composed of two pivoted relatively movable levers or members having coacting jaws, but any suitable wire clamp may be employed. In practice the device will be equipped with twelve chains and twelve wire clamps, but for convenience of illustration a less number has been shown in the accompanying drawing. Any number of chains and wire clamps may, of course, be employed. The chains are spaced apart adjacent to the clamps by means of a vertical spreader or spacing bar'7, constructed of any suitable material and provided with upper and lower oppositely inclined chain receiving recesses 8 and 9, which may be arranged at any suitable intervals to correspond with the space between the fence wires. The chain receiving recesses are in horizontal alinement with the fence wires and enable the chains to extend horizontally from the said wires to the spacing or spreader bar, so as to exert a direct horizontal pull on the fence wires, whereby the same may be uniformly stretched without liability of breaking the connecting stay wires or crimping or collapsing the woven wire fencing. The chains converge to the approximately triangular member, which is of a height considerably less than the height of the fence. The chain receiving recesses 8 at the upper portion of the spacing or spreader bar extend downwardly and inwardly, while the lower chain receiving recesses 9 extend upwardly and inwardly. By this construction it is impossible for the chains to become accidentally disengaged from the spreader or spacing bar when they are under tension. The end links 10 of the chains are linked into the perforations 2, but the chains may be secured to the tapered plate or member 1 in any other suitable manner.

The inner or rear end of the plate or member 1 is connected by a chain 11 with an operating lever 12 by means of a U-shaped link 13 or other suitable means shaped link 13 straddles the lever adjacent to one end thereof and is pivoted to the same by a bolt 14. The operating lever, which may be constructed of any suitable material, is connected by short chains 15 with bifurcated claw hooks 16, which are adapted to engage the links of an anchoring chain 17 connected at one end to one of the fence posts 18. The chain is preferably equipped with a hook 19 to enable it to be linked The U- I around the post, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the hook 19 being adapted to engage one of the intermediate links of the chain 17 to form a loop for encircling the post.

The lever is adapted to be oscillated in the usual manner to engage its hook successively with the links of the anchoring chain for gradually advancing the tapered plate or member 1, and by this means the fence 7 wires or wire fencing may be stretched to the desired tension. The lever is equipped at its outer portion with spaced alined rings or hands 20, welded or otherwise secured to the lever and adapted to receive an extension bar 21 for increasing the length of the lever to enable the wire stretcher to be easily operated with little power. The inner portion'of the extension bar is detachably fitted in the rings or bands 20 and may be readily removed to enable the wire stretcher to be compactly arranged.

When the wire is stretched to the desired tension, the lever may be secured to either of the chains 11 and 17 by means of an approximately U-shaped locking clevis 22, pivotally mounted in a perforation 23 of the lever and having spaced sides adapted to straddle either chain 11 or 17 and provided with terminal eyes 24. for the reception of a bolt 25, which passes through one of the links of the said chains. When the bolt,

which is equipped with a nut, is removed, the clevis is adapted to be swung to either side of the lever to arrange it for engaging either of the chains 11 and 17, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing.

No claim is made in the present application to the means for securing the lever to either of the chains 11 and 17.

What is claimed is A wire stretcher including a vertical series of chains provided at their front ends with means for connecting them to the wire to be stretched, a vertical plate located in rear of the lower portion of the fence and connected to the rear ends of the chains,

a vertical spacing or spreader bar extending above the plane of the said plate and engaging the chains between the ends thereof, the front portions of the chains being in parallelism and the rear portions converging rearwardly, and stretching mechanism located in line with the bottom portion of the fence and connected with the plate at the rear edge thereof.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signin ture in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN HENDERSON ELLIOTT.

lVitnesses:

B. E. LAMB, T. R. SANDERSON.

Copies of this patent. may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

